Tree Troubles
by Mycroftthepolitician
Summary: Nick just wants to do one nice thing for Ellis to make up for being such a jerk all the time, however, things never seem to go as expected with this zombie-killing group. Not even during the holidays. Nellis.
1. Blue Spruce

**Welp, my first ever Nellis fic. Valve owns the boys, and the lady, and the zombies. I know it's not really anywhere near Christmas as I write this, but knowing me, by the time it's done, it will be.**

* * *

"_Got your cookies, got your milk! Got mah shotgun trained on the chimney!"__  
_

"Hey, Overalls!" Nick called to Ellis, as he made is way down the stairs of the safehouse the two survivors and their companions had decided to stay at for the time being.

"_Stole mah woman and all I want for Christmas is to kick your ass!" _The hick belted out, pretending the bloody axe he was holding was a guitar.

"Ellis!" Nick snapped. The kid had been singing that song for the past two days now, along with a variation of other, equally irritating Christmas songs. The Midnight Riders carol was definitely Ellis' favorite, though. Seeing as it was only two days before Christmas (at least they thought it was), this wasn't surprising.

"Oh, hey Nick!" greeted Ellis, giving the ex-conman one of his signature 1,000 watt smiles.

Nick shook his head. The kid was definitely irritating at times, but no one could ever stay annoyed for long with the joy and positivity that practically radiated off of him. It had deeply affected all members of their little makeshift family, but none more so than Nick, who had been such a cynical bastard when he had first met the three other survivors on the hotel rooftop, back in Savannah, Georgia. Sure, he still took jabs at Coach's love of food and Ellis' simple-mindedness, but, he couldn't help but admit, after several months of chasing CEDA around with the three, that they weren't really all that bad. And, while the situation was grim, at least they were all together. At least he had…friends.

It was strange to think about. Having friends. People who would lay down their lives for him, and, even though he'd never openly admit it, he would do the same for them in a heartbeat.

"Coach and I are gonna see if we can find a small pine tree to drag back here. You in?"

Ellis' eyes grew wide with excitement, "You mean, we're gonna have us a Christmas tree in the middle of a zombie infestation?"

He nodded.

The hick bounced up and down a little on the balls of his feet, "You bet!"

Nick smiled. In all honesty, the attempt to get a Christmas tree was his idea. He knew how happy it would make Ellis. Nick didn't know when he had gotten so sentimental, especially where Ellis was involved. He had caught himself going out of his way to make Ellis happy over the last two months or so. Not to say he didn't still snap at the kid, or mock him when his attitude got too obnoxious for Nick to handle, but he found himself trying harder and harder to please Ellis despite that. Sometimes he'd catch himself giving out too many compliments on the kid's shooting, or trying to hand him a bottle of pain meds when he clearly didn't need them. He found himself occasionally letting Ellis finish one of his stories about his friend Keith, or teasing him in non-offensive ways, his chest getting a strange, but pleasant tightening feeling all the while. He became extremely irritated with himself in these moments. It would have been fine if he had been doing the same for Rochelle and Coach, but he hadn't. It had taken a turn for the worst when he had found himself playing with the hick's hair one night, as he, Rochelle, and Ellis huddled close one cold night, before they fell asleep. Coach, who had been on watch, gave the ex-conman an odd look, as Nick affectionately stroked the sleeping Ellis' sandy locks. Nick, who was horrified with himself, quickly drew his hand away, and pretended to go to sleep, a sinking feeling beginning to grow in his stomach.

"Nick, could you help me out, here!" called the loving, motherly voice of Rochelle, as she came out of the room upstairs with two cardboard boxes labeled "X-MAS". Nick was grateful for the distraction. That feeling in his chest had started to come back.

Nick took one of the boxes from Rochelle and brought it down the stairs, setting it on the small table next to Ellis.

Excitedly, Ellis tore open the box, grinning at what was inside, "We hit the jackpot, guys! Lookit all these dec'rations!" The hick pulled out a silver bulb. "Our tree is gonna be the pudyest Christmas tree for miles!"

"It'll be the only Christmas tree for miles," commented Nick.

"Well I haven't seen many zombies 'round here. Maybe they're celebratin', too"

The reason they hadn't seen the infected for a while was probably because they had all died from the cold, but Nick couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of a witch and jocky under the mistletoe, before a deep voice called out from upstairs, "Catch!"

Coach threw the boys a pair of coats and gloves, "Found these in the closet upstairs," he said, making his way over to them, already dressed in his winter gear.

Nick and Ellis quickly got dressed, as Coach picked up the axe Ellis had been playing with before. "Hopefully this doesn't make too much noise," he muttered. Nick suddenly felt a tug around his neck. Turning, around, he saw a smirking Ellis, who had snared Nick with a blue and white knitted scarf.

Nick could feel his face quickly heating up. If Ellis were to pull the scarf just a little more…he felt a shiver run through his body, and his mind began to wander.

"Nick?" came the hick's voice, sheepishly.

"Hm?" Nick blinked, pulling him from his thought.

"Yer stairin' at me funny."

"Just staring off into space, Overalls" said Nick, hurriedly pulling the scarf from Ellis and wrapping it around himself.

"Looked like you's 'bout to pounce on me, like a hun'er or somethin'" laughed Ellis.

Nicks face flushed even more, as Rochelle giggled, handing Nick his pistol, and Ellis his hunting rifle.

"Better be careful I don't tear you apart like one, too," growled Nick.

"Aw, Ah was jus' teasin', Nick. No reason to get mad at me," sulked Ellis.

"Ready?" asked Coach, as he scanned the land for the infected.

"Ready!" said Ellis, Nick's anger quickly forgotten.

"Let's move out, then," commanded Coach, once he was satisfied with the empty terrain.

* * *

They made it to the edge of a nearby forest without much trouble. They had spotted a smoker off in the distance, but Ellis had killed it, and they hadn't had any issues since. Ellis ran up to one of the trees and picked happily at a few of its needles.

"We can't bring a really tall one back to the safehouse, since there's not much room," said Nick to Ellis, "But other than that, you can pick any one you want."

"Jeez, Nick, you're gettin' soft," chuckled Coach, as Ellis excitedly scanned the forest for his favorite tree, "First you suggest we have Christmas in an apocalypse, and now you're lettin' him pick out the tree? I thought you didn't like thinking about others."

"Come on, Coach, we all want Christmas. And it's not like the kid wouldn't be the one to pick it out, anyway," said Nick, defensively, trying not to snap.

Coach rolled his eyes and smirked. He had seen too much for Nick to be able to cover his tracks.

"Getting' a tree was YOUR idea, Nick?" asked Ellis, slightly baffled.

"Yeah. It was," said Nick, the tightening in his chest coming back, as Ellis looked up at him. His bright blue eyes were even more gorgeous in the moonlight. It hurt to breath. Nick cursed himself.

"Wow, Nick. ah never pegged ya for the cheery, holiday-lovin' sort," jabbed Ellis, snarkily.

"I'm not," snapped Nick, "I just figured it would be nice to forget the damn zombies and do something close to normal for once."

Suddenly, Nick felt Ellis wrap his arms around him, as the younger man pulled him into a bone-crushing hug.

"Thanks, Nick."

"Uh…sure, kid. You're welcome," muttered Nick, sure his face was flushed, as he quickly patted Ellis on the shoulder, before shrugging him off, "You and Coach are doing most of the work, anyway."

"Hah! That's what YOU think!" laughed Coach, "Who do you think is dragging the thing back? It sure ain't gonna be me."

Nick groaned, "Ellis, could you maybe pick out one of those little Charlie Brown trees?"

But, Ellis was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, Overalls, where'd you get to?" shouted Nick, into the forest.

"Ah think ah found it!" came Ellis' voice.

Nick and Coach made their way through the trees, toward Ellis to find him standing beside a five foot blue spruce. He smiled at his two friends.

"I never saw a blue Christmas tree before!"

"You sure you want this one, Ellis?" asked Nick. Blue spruces were notorious for having incredibly sharp needles. Sharp needles that would dig into Nicks skin all the way back to the safehouse.

"Yup, ahm sure!" said Ellis.

Coach started to hack away at the tree's trunk with his axe.

"_The things I do for you, Overalls…"_ thought Nick, irritated, as he began to drag the tree by what was left of its trunk.

* * *

"You know, this reminds me of one Christmas, when ah was 'bout nine years old, me n' Keith were in the Christmas pageant at our church, and he wanted to play Joseph, on account of Lily Wilson was playin' Mary, and he wanted to play her husband, cuz he had a crush on her. Instead, he got stuck as one of the shepards, jus' like me. Dylan Kurts got to play Joseph, and, man, oh man, was Keith pissed…."

Nick really wasn't listening to Ellis. He was too busy dragging the kid's damn tree. Why had he agreed to do this again?

Ellis turned to Nick, giving him a big grin, "...And that's how come Keith ended up at the hospital Christmas Eve with six stitches! Though, Ahm sure having Christmas in a zombie apocalypse is gonna be a way better story than a fight at a crummy play! Because it was yer idea, Nick! You're pretty smart sometimes, you know." His eyes lit up with hope and excitement. Nick's heart began to thud hard against his chest. It wasn't because of the added strain of the tree, either.

Right. That was why.

Nick suddenly felt something cold and wet on the tip of his nose. He looked up to see-

"ALRIGHT! SNOW!" yelled Ellis, stretching out his arms to catch as many of the flakes as possible.

It was coming down in a pretty thick flurry. "Great," grunted Nick, "Now I have to deal with lugging the tree in the snow."

"Ain't that a beautiful sight," smile Coach, looking around.

"Either of you two ever seen snow?" asked Nick. They were both from Savannah, after all.

"Sometimes it snowed, but not much, an' it always jus' melted right away. It was definitely never like this," replied Ellis.

The wind was picking up, and the flakes were getting heavier. It was becoming a hassle to drag the damn tree. "It's getting kind of crazy out here," muttered Nick, "The wind almost sounds like it's-"

Nick froze, as he heard a low growl, a pair of glowing orange orbs becoming visible a small handful of yards ahead.

"Ellis!" Nick hissed, noticing that Coach had stopped as well.

"What?" asked the Southerner, getting ever close to the witch in front of them.

"Get the hell back over here! You want to startle her?"

"Startle wh-"

Ellis had run into something. Nick could have sworn that his heart stopped.

"ELLIS!" Nick screamed, dropping their tree, and dashing toward the southerner, as the witch let out a violent shriek and lunged at Ellis. Nick pulled out his pistol and began emptying his clip into her, causing the witch to focus her attention on Nick, instead of her first victim. Coach was close behind, axe in hand.

Before Coach could take his first swing, though, the witch had already knocked Nick onto his back, tearing through his coat to reach the soft flesh underneath. He couldn't see anything. Just the snowfall, turning into a blizzard and the witch's blood-stained claws. Then, everything went blurry, until everything went dark, and all he could feel was his warm blood all over his torso and the snowflakes landing on his cheeks, and all he could hear was Ellis' screams.

* * *

"_He tries to do somethin' nice for once, an' he gets himself killed!"_

"_Hush now, sweetie. He's not going to die. Crying won't get him nowhere."_

"_Ah can't help it, Ro. He's dyin' and it was all jus' to protect me. If Ah would have just listened…"_

"Ro? Ellis?" The words were scarcely a whisper. He could hear them. He knew it was them. But they seemed…far off, somehow. His head was pounding, too. He dared to open his eyes, only to find the room spinning.

"Where am I?" He grunted, once things seemed still.

"Nick, you're okay!" Ellis came into his vision, as the younger man smiled at him through puffy, bloodshot eyes. It was safe to assume he'd been crying.

"Hey, there, Fireball," Nick greeted, weakly. He noticed the carefully wrapped bandages around Ellis' bare chest. Obviously Rochelle's work. The kid looked okay, just a little scratched. He was definitely able to move, seeing as he was instantly beside Nick, face buried in his neck. Nick forgot to breathe for a moment.

"Ah was so worried 'bout you, Nick. You have no idea. Ah thought you was gonna die fer sure." Ellis began to sob.

Nick forced himself to sit up, despite both his wounds and Rochelle's protests. He looked down, noticing the slightly sloppy, but efficient handywork of Coach's stitching and bandaging. "Easy, there, Fireball. Everything's alright now. I've got you." He cradled Ellis in his arms, running his fingers through the younger man's hair and rubbing soothing circles onto his back. If his heart beat any faster, Nick was sure he was going to puke it up.

"Ah wish ah woulda listened to you, Nick. You got hurt trying to protect me," Ellis whimpered, shaking against Nick.

"Hey, it's okay. You didn't see her in time. None of us did. Besides, Ellis, you're worth dying for." He hadn't meant for that last part to slip out. He could tell he was going to get shit for it when Rochelle gave him an evil smirk and walked upstairs for the two of them to be alone.

"Y-you really feel that way, Nick? About me? That Ahm worth dyin' for?"

"Yes," he breathed, too exhausted to put up a front.

"Ah always thought you jus' put up with me….Yuh know…for the team." Ellis looked at Nick, his blue orbs practically absorbing every feeling behind Nick's green ones.

"Maybe I felt that way once, Ellis. But things change. People change." Nick held either side of the hick's face, thumbing away a few stray tears. All of the emotion in Ellis' eyes called out to him in a way nothing else ever had before. He bit his lip with uncertainty. Then, he spotted something in the corner of the room.

"You saved the tree, too?" smiled Nick, gazing at the blue spruce.

"Yeah," said Ellis, a little calmer, picking up his trucker cap where he had left it on the floor, "Ah didn't want to leave it behind, so ah dragged it, despite my injuries an' all. They aren't half as bad as they coulda been, thanks to you."

"You plan on decorating it?" asked Nick.

"Naw. Not now. We still have a whole day ahead of us before it's Christmas," smiled Ellis. "Ah just wanna sleep."

And with that, Ellis pulled Nick down to the makeshift bed on the floor and pressed his nose against the ex-conman's jaw.

"Goodnight, Ellis," murmured Nick.

"'Night, Nick"

* * *

**Review and stuff. Also I love blue spruce trees :3**


	2. Don't Say It

**Second Chapter. Was done way sooner than I thought. Have fun reading.**

* * *

Nick opened his eyes the next morning to see two of the most beautiful things he had ever laid eyes on.

First was the tree in front of him. Someone had managed to find a stand, and stood the blue spruce upright. It was covered in silver and aqua-colored bulbs, and someone (presumably Ellis) had wrapped it (quite messily, Nick noted) in garland. A lot of love was put into decorating it.

Secondly, there was the boy standing in front of the tree. THAT had been what had really taken Nick's breath away.

Ellis stood, his back turned to Nick, throwing something around the tree. He was noticeably soaking wet, and in nothing but his boxers.

"Mornin', Nick," Ellis grinned, turning to the ex-conman. His body had been deeply scarred by the zombie apocalypse. Long, jagged cuts ran down his sides and chest, and noticeable nicks and slices covered his legs. He was thin with fatigue from lots of running and little food, but his muscle mass hadn't shrunk much since Nick had met him, all those months ago. Nick wouldn't have cared if he was a hundred pounds overweight, or a scrawny mess, he was beautiful.

"Good morning," Nick managed, looking away in embarrassment, his chest tightening again.

"Found out that the water still works. It's a little rusty, but it's still heated, if you wanted to take a shower," said Ellis.

Nick definitely wanted to shower. His hair felt like someone had poured shoe polish all over it. "I'll do that," he replied, struggling to stand.

"Here, let me help yeh," said Ellis, in alarm, as he rushed to grab Nicks arm. Nicks face flushed more, as the near-naked southerner helped him up. He could feel how cold Ellis' skin was. Water and winter didn't really create heat, after all. Nick felt the urge to pull Ellis close and warm him.

"I got it, Sport," said Nick, after he was standing. He couldn't take being close to the kid much longer. He was afraid of what he might do or say.

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. Ah'll be here to bandage you back up when yer done," smiled Ellis.

Wordlessly, Nick stumbled into the bathroom, and slipped out of his remaining clothes.

* * *

It had turned out that the thing Ellis had been wrapping around the tree when Nick had woken up were lights. They didn't work anymore, due to there being no electricity, but as Ellis had said, "You can't have a proper Christmas tree without lights. It jus' ain't right."

Nick was feeling better than he had the previous night. He noted this as Ellis bandaged him back up, his strong hands working a lot more efficiently at the task than they ever had. Usually Ellis was not the best healer. The kid was being extremely careful with this job, though. Nick also noted this, as his thoughts returned to the previous night.

Why had Ellis been so distraught by Nick's injuries? Sure, he tended to panic if any of them lost consciousness. But he never cried. Never sobbed in Nicks arms. Never held him that close. Never nuzzled and clung to him like that. Never.

Was it because he felt guilty for startling the witch that almost cost Nick his life? It couldn't have been. All three of them had risked their necks for the hick before. Nothing had changed there. He swallowed nervously, as he thought of the look in Ellis' eyes before they had gone to bed. They were so worried, and so deep, and…loving? A shiver ran through his body, remembering those eyes. Then, anger rose up inside himself.

Why had he allowed the kid to hold him like that as they slept? Why did he feel the need to comfort him that badly? Why couldn't he reply to those begging eyes? He knew the answer, and he kicked himself mentally for it.

"Ah reckon' ahm done," Ellis smiled at his handiwork, "Didn't do none too bad, neither."

"You did a hell of a job, Overalls," complimented Nick, putting his blood-stained shirt back on, happy that Ellis was finally fully clothed as well.

Ellis' smile remained, but became soft and tender. Nick felt his heart flutter. He mentally cursed at it.

"Ahm gonna help Coach root through the closets upstairs. You jus' relax for a bit," said Ellis, reaching out and brushing a hand against Nick's cheek. Nick froze. Ellis' face suddenly went red, and his blue eyes got a bit wider.

"Sorry, Nick, ah…" he shook his head, "Jus' worried 'bout yer injuries is all." When Nick didn't reply, Ellis quickly raced up the stairs, to help Coach.

Just then, Rochelle came back from the cellar with a box of mac and cheese and a tin of spam, "You're gonna have to let him know, eventually," she said.

"There's nothing to 'let him know'" spat Nick. He hated how observant she was.

"I'm a reporter, it's my job to be observant," Ro said, as if she could read his mind.

"Well you got your facts wrong on this story," Nick replied, a decent amount of venom in his voice.

Rochelle sighed and gave a small, sad laugh, "You know, for an amazing gambler, your poker face sure does suck."

"My poker face is perfect, "scoffed Nick, "Otherwise you wouldn't have some stupid idea that I have something to let the kid 'know'."

Rochelle just shook her head again, and kept quiet, beginning to prepare the food.

* * *

"Niiick will you go outside with me?"

"No."

"Please? Ah ain't never played in the snow as a kid, and Ah'd really love the chance to."

"No, Overalls. I'm 36. I don't play in snow. Besides, it might look pretty to you, but living in a place where it snows quite often you learn that snow is something to look at. Not to touch."

Ellis pouted. It had been like that all afternoon. Nick was definitely feeling a lot better (those health kits, sure worked fast), but, that didn't change the fact that he absolutely didn't want anything to do with the cold terror that waited outside.

"Please, Nick? Just this once?"

"Fine!" snapped Nick, losing his patience, "But we're not going far from the safehouse. Things got pretty messed up last time."

Ellis' face fell, "Ahm sorry, Nick. ah understand if you don't wanna go out with me, cuz you got torn up last time. We don't have to."

Nick pulled on Coach's coat (his had gotten destroyed during his encounter with the witch), "I'm already getting dressed, Overalls. We're going. Just stay close."

Ellis' eyes lit up happily, "Ah promise, Nick!"

* * *

"Do yah think Santa would come if we left him cookies? Even in a zombie 'pocalypse?" asked Ellis, as the two men trudged through the snow.

Nick let out a patronizing laugh, "You can't honestly tell me that you still believe in Santa Clause?"

"No," huffed Ellis, "But it would be pretty cool, wouldn' it?"

"Yeah, because we really need a fat man in a red suit to come crashing into the safehouse and attracting all of the infected," said Nick, rolling his eyes, "Hell, _HE'D _probably be infected." Nick hadn't noticed how far Ellis had begun to trail behind.

TWACK! Something hard and cold collided with the back of Nick's head. Turning around, abruptly, he saw the hick, grinning widely.

"Got 'cha."

"_That's what you think_." Nick was in a much more playful mood now. Finally, a way to get back at that damn hick for all of his pestering, and his stories, and those…_feelings_ he had been ripping Nick apart with.

Then, Nick scooped up a bunch of snow, quickly backing it into a ball, chucking it at Ellis. It hit him right in the stomach, and the southerner stumbled back a few inches.

"Hey! That ain't fair!" cried Ellis, grinning cheekily, despite his taken-aback tone.

"You hit me first, Overalls," smirked Nick.

Another snowball thumped Nick on the shoulder.

"So, that's how it's gonna be, eh, Ellis?" said Nick, raising an eyebrow in challenge.

"I reckon' it is, Nick" Ellis smiled devilishly back.

Suddenly, they were both knelt down, grabbing as much snow into their arms as the possibly could. Ellis, who had been just a little bit quicker, began to pelt the older man with snowballs.

Ellis was fast. Nick could scarcely see through all of the snow hurdling his way, he did, however, have a target. And he was locked onto it.

Nick threw his giant chunk of snow as hard as he could, smacking his opponent in the forehead. He had gotten his chance, as Ellis' treasured trucker cap fell to the ground. Nick raced by and snatched it up.

"Hey!" Ellis yelled after him, "Give it back!"

"You'll have to come n' gitit, Fireball!" called Nick, mocking Ellis' accent, as he raced to the back of the house.

"Oh, man!" yelled Ellis, chasing him as fast as his legs could carry him. Which, luckily for him, was faster than Nick's legs could function.

Nick felt something crash into him forcefully crash into him from behind, and, suddenly, Ellis had tackled him to the ground.

"Hah! Ah win!" proclaimed Ellis, his hands on either one of Nick's shoulders, pinning him down. Nick shoved Ellis off, as he turned around, but Ellis was on him again, as quickly as he had been shoved off, glaring playfully at Nick, as Nick let out a loud, and incredibly genuine laugh. He couldn't remember the last time he had laughed like that. Hell, maybe he had never laughed like that.

Ellis blinked, with a surprised look on his face, "Nick…you actually look…happy."

He definitely felt it, staring up into Ellis' eyes. They were both wet, cold, and in the middle of a goddamn apocalypse. But at that moment, none of it mattered. The feeling in his chest had never hurt so much. But, it had never felt as wonderful.

"I dunno, kid. Maybe I'm just going crazy." Nick grinned up at Ellis.

They both laughed together, "Ah think we all might be a li'l crazy. But shit, I don't mind one bit," chucked Ellis.

"Me either, kid," whispered Nick, brushing a finger over the scar on Ellis' nose.

"Hey Nick?" asked Ellis.

"Yeah, El?"

"Could yeh maybe teach me how to make a snowman?"

"Sure, sport. If you ever get off of me…."

* * *

"Ready to admit to anything?" Rochelle asked, tossing Nick a towel. Coach had taken over "playing" with Ellis outside. Although, it was clear that he had started to tire out. Nick could see the two men through the boards that covered the safehouse windows, sitting in the snow, talking calmly.

"Ro, please don't," sighed Nick, drying off his hair.

"I saw you out there, Nick. You need to tell him how much he means to you. That you lo-"

"DON'T!...Don't say it…please," he whimpered, looking down. He knew how pathetic he must have looked.

He grunted in shock, when he felt her arms squeeze him in ta tight hug.

"Ro?"

"How will you ever be able to say it if you won't even let me?" she asked, softly, "You love him, Nick. You're in love with him, and he obviously cares for you, too."

He leaned into the hug, sighing in self-frustration, "I know Ro," he looked out of the window, watching as Ellis smiled up at Coach in a confident way, the words 'Thank you' clearly on his lips, "But, fuck the infection, I've never been more afraid of anything in my life."

* * *

**I tend to love Rochelle comfort :) Reviews are appreciated. **


	3. Worth Fighting For

**Final chapter, guys. I guess I did finish it before Christmas. Hell, I finished it before Fall. 'Spose I'll make a Summer one come Christmas XD**

**Short but sweet. Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

"Hey Nick?"

Ellis had plopped himself down beside Nick, in front of the fireplace. They'd found some firewood under a tarp in the back yard that afternoon.

"Yeah, kid?" Nick looked up at his companion, driven from his thoughts of what Rochelle had told him a few hours prior.

"You've been pretty happy today." It wasn't so much a statement as it was a question of why, "What ah mean tuh say is that you haven't been yerself much today. Not tha' ah mind, that you're beein' nice an' all," Ellis added quickly, "But ah was wonderin' if there was somthin' wrong? Are yeh sick?"

Nick looked at Ellis questioningly, as the hicks concerned eyes met his. "_Dammit, Ellis," _thought Nick, "_Do you WANT me to be a prick?"_

A warm hand sliding over his gave him his answer. Nick held his breath, as the younger man carefully intertwined his fingers with Nick's.

"Ellis, have you ever had a moment when you had to admit something scary to yourself?"

"Like what?" Asked Ellis, his eyes still trained on Nick.

Nick sighed, "Like, finding out something about yourself. Something you never wanted to know."

"Ah guess so," said Ellis, his voice quivering, as he began stroking Nick's hand with his thumb. Whatever the hick's intentions were with the sudden affection he'd been showing lately, it was obvious he was nervous about it. Nick refused to believe that any good was going to come of it, but none the less, he let Ellis continue. "Like when the infection hit. My auntie Darla had stopped by for coffee with my momma. Everything was okay, until her eyes began to leak blood an' she charged at me. I had tuh put 'er out of 'er misery with mah wrench. I learned that I could hurt people that day," he said solemnly. Nick let Ellis put his head on his shoulder for comfort, squeezing his hand, gently. "Or like the time that Keith and I went out lookin' for Rattlesnakes, on acounna, Keith said they we're real good to eat. I felt pretty fearless, ah mean, I went hunnin' all the time. But man, them snakes aren't like other animals. Not tuh me at least, cuz, when we finally found one, it hissed at me real loud, an' ah almost filled my pants. Keith made fun of me for months after that."

Nick just let the kid ramble on; sure the meaning of his question had been lost on him. He figured he'd try again after the holidays. It was probably better for Nick's pride that Ellis didn't know what he meant anyway.

"And then, there was this time when ah fell in love with the meanest sonnah'bitch ah ever met," Nick's head shot up in suddenly. Ellis continued to prattle on, even faster than before, obviously embarrassed, yet unable to stop. "Ah never meant to neither. It just kinda…happened. Ah realized how come all of the harsh things that were said bothered me sometimes, when other people's insults never did, an' how flawed they really were, an' how badly they prolly jus' needed someone there for 'em, and why ah couldn't stop looking into their eyes whenever we was talkin'. They're just so green and they drive me crazy, Nick. Ah couldn' help it, Ahm so, so sorry."

Nick's heart raced, and he felt like throwing up. Beginning to shake with emotion, he said the only thing his pessimism would let him, "That Zoey girl wasn't that mean, Overalls. A real bitch, maybe, but not the worst you've ever met, I'm sure."

"Nick…" came Ellis, obviously choked up, as his eyes filled with tears, "Ah wasen' talkin' about Zoey."

So he had understood.

"Ellis…"

And without another word, Nick pressed his lips against Ellis', holding the hick's face in the hand not preoccupied with holding his hand. The tight feeling that had been in his chest for so long seemed to spill out into the kiss, as Ellis pulled him closer, clinging onto Nick's shirt. It was like pain medication for all of the emotional stress he's felt over Ellis for the past months, and he gave himself up to it completely.

When their faces were finally separated from one another's, Ellis buried his face into Nick's shoulder, wrapping his arms around his waist and shaking uncontrollably.

"Stop it, Overalls," Nick murmured, smiling into Ellis' cap, "All I did was kiss you, it wasn't that bad was it?"

"God, no, Nick. Ah jus' never though'-"

"Don't think, Ellis. It's not your strong suit."

Ellis backed up a few inches, smiling at Nick though tears, "Ah love you, Nick."

"I love you, too, Ellis." It felt so damn good to finally say those words. Ellis leaned in for another kiss, and Nick happily obliged, making sure to savor every moment of it.

"Come here," said Nick, moving to lie down on the pile of blankets they'd called a bed since staying there. Ellis did as he was told, snuggling as close as he could to the ex-conman.

"Ah suppose we should get some sleep," muttered Ellis, closing his eyes, as he enjoyed the body heat being exchanged between him and the man he loved, "After all, tomorrow's Christmas, and we only got one day left until we're back out in the world of zombies and murder again."

"I suppose so," replied Nick, closing his eyes. He didn't mind so much about what was ahead of them after tomorrow, though. Because, no matter what, he knew he'd have someone fighting at his side, and something worth fighting for.


End file.
